Jun 21, 2024 | Island News
We are excited to hear about Seaborne Airline’s addition of the new aircraft and overhaul of the existing seaplanes! According to Seaborne’s general manager as reported by WTJX, the new fleet will result in more connectivity and reliability when it comes to inter-island travel and allow Seaborne to expand its operations throughout the Caribbean. The new seaplane will be operating between St. Croix and St. Thomas.
Read the full article here.
Photo from WTJX
Jun 21, 2024 | Island News
The U.S. Virgin Islands is considering expanding its maritime capabilities with a new shipyard in the South Shore Trade Zone (SSTZ) on St. Croix, according to the V.I. Economic Development Authority, which commissioned a feasibility study conducted by First Marine International, a subsidiary of Royal Haskoning DHV. The VI Consortium reported recently that a feasibility study indicates a new shipyard could substantially increase employment and economic benefits in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The article points out that while the study concludes the economic viability of the shipyard, it recommends further evaluations concerning capital expenditures and exploring alternative funding sources before proceeding. The potential for private sector involvement and the development of a skilled workforce through local training and apprenticeships are seen as critical elements for the shipyard’s success.
The possibility of the shipyard bringing significant boost to local economic growth is fantastic news. Read the full article here.
Photo from VI Consortium
May 17, 2024 | Island News
The National Trust for Historic Preservation unveiled on May 1 it’s 2024 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places and the Whim Museum is on the list. According to WTJX, the Whim Museum made the list because additional resources are needed to repair its colonial-era buildings that have been repeatedly damaged by hurricanes. Tiffany Tolbert, senior director for Preservation of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, visited the museum’s 12-acre grounds to learn more about the ongoing disaster recovery efforts. and discussed resources available to help restore the hurricane-damaged buildings.
WTJX also reported that the exposure from the Whim Museum’s inclusion on this year’s 11 Most Endangered list is just one way the Landmarks Society is being put in the spotlight to receive restoration resources. Whim Museum is also slated to receive disaster recovery funding. Also the Landmarks Society recently announced that the signing of the MOU and designation of Whim Museum on the NTHP list will put the Whim Museum on a steady path toward full restoration.
We hope the attention Estate Whim Museum is receiving will bring about the much needed preservation and restoration work that it needs! Read the full WTJX article here.
The museum is the oldest sugar plantation museum in the Virgin Islands. Its purpose is to increase the understanding of a colonial sugar plantation to both island residents and visitors. Exhibits and guided tours are designed to interpret the economics of a plantation, explain the procedures used in the cultivation and processing of sugar, and describe the everyday life of the people who lived and worked there. Learn more about the Whim by visiting its website.
May 17, 2024 | Island News
We are so excited to hear that Virgin Islands Good Foods received a $30,000 grant from the Better Food Policy Fund through a collective action fund of the Tides Foundation. The grant, intended to support the Territorial Agriculture Group (TAG) project activities in 2024, is expected to be renewed for an additional $30,000 in 2025. This will be a boost to local agriculture and as reported by the VI Consortium, this will enable the continued development of TAG, a coalition of farmers, advocates, and agricultural professionals dedicated to advancing food policy and system improvements in the Virgin Islands. TAG, comprising over fifty farmers, represents a partnership across several farming organizations, all dedicated to building a resilient and inclusive food system in the USVI. Read the full article here.
Virgin Islands Good Food is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a thriving local food economy that supports USVI farmers and ensures healthy good food is accessible to every resident in the territory. Established in 2012, the coalition is a project under the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, the organization works to bridge the gap between consumers, government, and private industry to facilitate long-term change and strengthen the USVI food system. Follow VI Good Foods’s Facebook page to learn more.
Apr 18, 2024 | Island News
A massive bleaching event in the Caribbean in 2005 resulted in the loss of more than half of what was then the coral population in V.I. waters. In the Virgin Islands, researchers are still assessing the damage from the 2023 summer bleaching event according to the St. Croix Source (read full article here). USVI researchers also said the water temperature in the territory is currently 1.3 degrees Celsius higher than normal for this time of year.
Recently, the International Coral Reef Initiative and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that prolonged, exceptionally warm temperatures have caused the fourth ever global coral bleaching event. This is the fourth global event on record and the second in the last 10 years.
According to reports, mass bleaching of coral reefs has been confirmed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, basins including parts of Florida and the U.S. Coastline, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Australia, the South Pacific, the Persian Gulf, coasts of East Africa, as well as Indonesia since early 2023. Experts say as the world’s oceans continue to warm, coral bleaching is becoming more frequent and severe. When these events are sufficiently severe or prolonged, they can cause coral mortality, according to the press release from NOAA. Read the full article here.
Apr 17, 2024 | Island News
According to a recent VI Consortium article, Governor Bryan attended this year’s Seatrade Global conference in April where he showcased the Virgin Islands’ pivotal role in global cruise tourism, emphasizing the territory’s impressive 5 percent share of the market. The governor also met with executives, stakeholders, and government officials from across the world discussing trends and partnerships in the cruise industry. Given that tourism generates 70% of the Virgin Islands’ economy, the governor stated that “these initiatives and investments are really proving to be worthwhile.” The conference may even be responsible for some legislative changes the governor says are in the pipeline. These aim to further enhance the cruise and tourism offerings, especially potential growth on St. Croix. Governor Bryan also expressed optimism that the exchanges of ideas during the event will lead to “exciting prospects” for the territory through new public-private partnerships.
